Exit Stage
by That Vintage Dress
Summary: He realizes with terror that he's actually heartbroken. What Sharpay loves, Ryan hates [Slight Rypay]


Disclaimer: Don't own it. Blah. Tastes yucky.

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_Exit Stage_

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_She loves..._

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The Applause

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In her favorite dream Sharpay found herself standing on stage, a single, powerful spotlight on her, her body almost humming with the the thunder of the faceless audience's applause.

Always, always she was a Queen. Beautiful, her pink dress glittering, her shoes glittering, everything perfect and wonderful.

She'd laugh, bow to the audience and laugh even harder as the clapping got louder, cheering rippling through the crowd.

They loved her, they loved her talent.

Sharpay knew good things were going to happen whenever she dreamed this. They'd been asked in class one day, "Where do you see yourself in five years?" and Sharpay had written, in her loud, demanding penmanship that she'd be center stage, listening to an entire theater bring the rafters down in praise for her. The teacher had then asked them to read it out loud, share it with the class and Sharpay volunteered first, even as she heard Chad and Troy and even Ryan, that traitor, sigh dramatically.

_Here we go_, she heard Chad mutter. _This should be good_.

Troy laughed, turning it into a cough when Sharpay sent him a scolding glare.

The Traitor didn't say anything aloud, but he must of done _something_ because both Chad and Troy snorted. She sent him a silent death wish but he just beamed at her, his expression completely innocent.

_Bastard_. She thought, hoping that "twin" thing kicked in and Ryan could her hear. _You bastard. I'll get the last laugh_.

Besides, at least Sharpay's goal had success in it. At least she was aiming for the stars, unlike some classmates.

Gabriella, little twit, had written, _with Troy, happy_.

Well, that was why Gabriella didn't deserve the lead in the musical. That bookworm didn't understand that the applause _was_ happiness. Was the only happiness anyone ever needed.

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Her Shoes

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In her favorite dream Sharpay's shoes were _fabulous_. Completely, perfectly fabulous, silver, with a fat, greedy diamond-like brooch sitting a top of her toes while smaller, square ones climbed up the hill of her foot.

Everytime she woke up from that dream Sharpay would feel a stab of disappointment which quickly mutated into a spoilt, full-fledged pout.

The only bad part about dreaming of completely, perfectly fabulous shoes was that they didn't exist.

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The Backdrop

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In her favorite dream Sharpay was complimented by-not Troy, funnily enough, but the backdrop. The backdrop was a twinkling fading pink sunset, studded with tiny lights just to make it look all the more glamorous.

When the tiny lights fade out so that the spotlight can be on Shar for her standing ovation it's almost a disappointment.

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Her Pillow

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In her favorite dream Sharpay is alert and awake and pumped with a drug ten times more powerful than any dealer would know about. She feels more alive than she ever has in the world of the waking.

When she wakes up, which is becoming later and later, she feels herself sink into her rich, soft pillow and sighs.

Sometimes it seems that her pillow is almost to good to leave.

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The Falling Curtain.

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This is a new part to Sharpay's favorite dream.

Normally, when Ryan was present, he was either as happy and as high as she was, or the only face she could make out from the cheering mass, proud, always so proud.

Lately however the audience melts away, the applause melts away, her beautiful shoes don't seem to matter and the backdrop dims.

It leaves her and her twin, Sharpay on the stage, Ryan standing where the seats should've been.

This is _not _a part Sharpay likes.

Ryan's face, his beautiful, sweet face, is crumpled in pain. He's looking at her almost blindly, his eyes darting all about her, as though trying to keep every detail her fresh, whispering, "Sharpay... please. Don't go, don't. I'm sorry."

Then he looks up, meets her eyes. She's his twin, his twin sister, beautiful and fabulous and who'd _finally_ been getting things _her_ way but he ruins it all for her by saying in a tiny, heartbroken, hollow voice:

"Don't go."

For once in her life she doesn't know what to do. She can't yell at him, finds that for once she's clueless as how to treat him. Comfort once meant telling him to grow some backbone and ordering him to get the both of them something sugary.

But he's frightening her now. He's trying to reach up to her, still whispering in that damned voice, pleading with her not to leave him.

And Sharpay can't help but think _thank-god _when the falling curtain separates them, leaving her alone with the darkness and his sobs.

But it's okay, because soon she'll be awake where she'll be able to laugh this entire thing off.

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_He hates..._

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The Applause

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An audience of a different kind, wearing black, sombre.

"..she lived for applause" He manages to choke out. "She read it out, i-in class. She prob-probably would've g-got it too."

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Her Shoes

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He didn't know why he bought them. Strange, expensive silver shoes with with a fat, greedy diamond-like brooch sitting at the toes while smaller, square-sized ones traveled up the strap.

He places them in her closet, still in their box, the tissue paper wrapped around them unbroken.

Waiting.

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The Backdrop

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He goes to the musical. The wildcats bully him into it, saying it'll be good for him, that he needs to get out.

It was fine, too... until he saw _it_.

A pale pink sunset, tiny twinkling lights. It must have cost the school a pretty penny, alright.

For some reason he felt sick.

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Her Pillow

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He hates to touch it, go near it, but he can't help himself.

Her room is neat. Not her. She'd have unwanted outfits thrown over furniture, skinny play scripts scattered about, maybe a hairbrush or two lying by the wall after having thrown it at Ryan.

But now... it was neat. Not her.

Preserved.

Her pillow sits atop of a rich pink and gold bedspread, plump and inviting looking. He picks it up, gingerly. Holds it.

It still smells like her.

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The Falling Curtain

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In his nightmare Ryan finds himself standing in an empty theater, staring up at Sharpay who is beautiful and fabulous.

She looks confused, and he realizes that he's crying.

He's whispering. "Sharpay... please. Don't go, don't." A shuddering breathing, and suddenly Ryan is apologizing for something he's not so sure of. "I'm sorry"

His sister, his twin sister looks unsure, afraid.

Ryan's mouth trembles, and he finds that he's saying, whimpering, "Don't go."

It's appalling, the way he feels. Only just his summer he'd almost hated her, but now... now he'd of given anything to have her back, to have the Ice Princess back, the Drama Queen who terrified the freshmen.

He realizes with terror that he's actually heartbroken.

She's so close. He reaches up, needing her. Her fingers twitch. She's staring at him, appalled. Is she real? Does she know she's gone? Ryan doesn't know, he just wants to touch her.

But then the falling curtain separates them, parts them, rips them apart and Ryan finds himself sobbing uncontrollably.

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Exit Stage

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He always hated the ending of performances.

He hated the ending of anything, really.


End file.
